Ch.15Cherished Bonds (1)

I finally returned home after the dungeon exploration was over. Leo said he would handle the settlement and paperwork separately, so now I could rest properly.

So I immediately went to the bathroom to prepare for a shower.

By the way, my body’s condition in the mirror is terrible. My entire body is covered in dirt and my hair is severely tangled. This is going to take a while to clean.

***

After taking a refreshing shower, Rebecca came to check if I had washed my hair properly.

“This looks acceptable. Please continue to wash like this in the future.”

“So Agath will definitely never have to bathe me, right?”

“Yes. As long as you wash like this, that will never happen.”

Now I just need to dry my hair and I can truly relax with peace of mind. So as soon as I dried my hair, I threw myself onto the bed.

And lying on the bed, I realized once again how blissful it is to just roll around doing nothing.

It’s not like the hard floor I slept on in the dungeon, the temperature is pleasantly warm, and there are delicious snacks nearby.

I think I’ve finally found true happiness.

While resting comfortably, a question occurred to me.

I used to be embarrassed while showering, but why wasn’t I embarrassed at all this time? I actually enjoyed the warm water and bathed pleasantly.

Could I have already adapted to this female body?

No way. I lived as a man for 19 years, how could I adapt in just 4 days? I must have been too tired to notice.

I can prove it by looking at my underwear right now. Since my mind is completely male, I’ll definitely feel embarrassed seeing myself in underwear, right?

But I can’t bring myself to move my hand. What if I’ve really adapted to this female body and can no longer get excited seeing women?

Come to think of it, I’ve never been excited even with that beautiful woman constantly throwing herself at me. Does that mean I…

…I believe in myself. I’m sure I still have a man’s mind.

With that firm determination, I stood in front of the mirror in my underwear.

…This is awkward to say, but I’m really turned on. If my lower half were normal, I would have immediately taken care of business.

Anyway, since I got excited looking at a member of the opposite sex, my male mentality is still intact…

…But isn’t this narcissism?

Even though it doesn’t feel like my body, it’s still my body, so I got excited looking at myself. That sounds like narcissism.

While I was blushing and agonizing over these feelings, Agath opened the door and came in.

“I’m bored! Let’s play…”

For reference, I’m standing in front of the mirror in my underwear. And Agath just saw me like this.

“Do you need some help?”

“It’s not like that!”

“It’s okay, it’s better to release when it builds up. Let me know how it was afterward.”

Agath left the room with a lewd smile, closing the door behind her.

I quickly put my clothes back on and collapsed onto the bed. Then I summoned my gun.

Yeah, let’s just die. Fortunately, there’s no one around to stop me. Let’s be happy now. I’ll rest a little more and then really end it.

And so I spent a shameful yet comfortable rest on the soft bed.

***

Delivery food is great in many ways. You don’t have to cook, and cleaning up is easier than after cooking yourself. Plus, it’s delicious.

Among delivery foods, chicken is truly the best. Although removing the bones is annoying, nothing beats chicken when it comes to taste.

Especially chicken eaten after a hard day’s work tastes better than ever.

Anyway, we’re having chicken that Leo brought for dinner.

“Let’s eat!”

Happiness washed over me as I took the first bite.

Being able to eat delicious food and rest comfortably—I finally understood what a blessing that is.

While enjoying one of life’s pleasures, Agath spoke to me.

“So which part felt the best?”

“The legs, of course.”

Chicken legs are naturally the most delicious part. They’re easy to hold and the meat is tender, so it’s obvious.

“The legs? That’s an unexpectedly unique preference.”

“Don’t most people prefer the legs? What part do you like best, Agath?”

“Well, because of those damn doctrines, I’ve never masturbated myself, so I wouldn’t know.”

The conversation went off track somewhere. It’s definitely not a discussion about favorite chicken parts anymore.

“We were talking about favorite chicken parts, right?”

“Weren’t we talking about your first experience?”

“…No.”

“So which part felt the best?”

“I didn’t do anything, so please just shut up…”

“Then why were you standing in front of the mirror in your underwear?”

“…”

I really should kill myself. I’ll eat this and then really die.

After finishing the most satisfying meal, I returned to my room. Strangely, after such a satisfying meal, my thoughts of dying completely disappeared.

I don’t have anything else to do anyway, so I might as well sleep.

With that thought, I changed into comfortable clothes, collapsed onto the bed, and immediately fell asleep.

***

I woke up refreshed after a good night’s sleep. Time to make breakfast and get ready for work. I hope we get a simple request that finishes quickly today.

With such thoughts, I’m making breakfast again today.

…I feel like I’ve forgotten something important.

Oh right, I need to defeat the Demon King.

My decent mood instantly plummeted.

I realized that Leo, whom I thought was somewhat normal, is actually more insane than anyone else.

There’s really not a single person I can trust.

***

It’s been 4 days since my body changed, but I haven’t adapted to this body at all.

Bathing is less embarrassing than before, but still terribly embarrassing. Plus, the bathing process remains cumbersome.

Choosing clothes is also a major problem. The closet is full of revealing tops and skirts. I have to somehow find the least revealing options.

I want to wear a baggy top and pants…

After completing my torturous morning preparations, I asked Leo a question while we were all heading to the office.

“By the way, how many requests have come in?”

From what I’ve observed directly, these people may be completely insane, but their skills are guaranteed. So there should be piles of requests.

However, Leo’s answer completely shattered my expectations.

“None at all.”

“Why aren’t there any requests? Everyone seems skilled and the office seems well-known…”

The Hero alone is famous enough. The same should be true for the Holy Maiden and Holy Knight.

“I don’t know either. We handle requests properly and our fees are reasonable, but why doesn’t anyone come?”

Leo spoke as if he genuinely didn’t understand.

Maybe they’re too well-known. Thinking about the police officer’s reaction last time, it makes sense.

He was trembling even though we didn’t do anything. The psychological pressure of entrusting a request to such important people must be immense.

So they probably only bring truly difficult tasks, like ones only the Hero can handle.

…Does that mean I’m in big trouble?

My steps toward the office became heavier. I really have the worst luck…

***

As we approached the office, I heard a man and a woman talking.

“It’s not too late to turn back. These people are really not right.”

“But the Guild Master told us to get help from the Hero…”

“Do you know what these people are like? They’re all mentally ill. Especially the Hero, who’s completely insane!”

Didn’t I just say requests don’t come in because they’re too well-known? I take that back.

They don’t come in because everyone here is completely nuts.

To be fair, I wouldn’t want to entrust requests to people like this either.

Anyway, the man and woman continued their conversation. The man’s voice sounds familiar…

“How bad is the Hero exactly?”

“If you make even the slightest mistake when talking about magic, you’ll never return in one piece.”

“Magic? Doesn’t the Hero use a Holy Sword?”

“He did. But after defeating the Demon King, he suddenly became obsessively fixated on magic.”

“Why would he be interested in magic of all things…”

That stupid boy is about to mention the forbidden word. I need to stop him immediately. Otherwise…

There’s no time to think. I need to act now.

I quickly summoned my gun and fired three shots into the air.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

“…Who’s there?”

The boy looked in my direction with a startled voice.

Fortunately, I succeeded in cutting off that idiot’s words. That was a close call.

I went forward to see which blockhead was trying to mention the forbidden word, and I saw someone familiar.

“…Ju-an?”

Standing before my eyes was my longtime friend Nam Ju-an. So the Goddess was right—he had already reincarnated into this world.

Anyway, I met my dear friend after a long time.

“Um… who are you?”

“What, did you hit your head? It’s me.”

“I… really don’t know who you are.”

“Did your memories disappear when you reincarnated? It’s me, your buddy Kim Min-jun.”

Suddenly, Ju-an sighed softly and started looking at me like I was a strange person.

“How can you be Min-jun? Min-jun is a guy, not a woman like you.”

“What do you mean I’m a woman, that’s bull—”

I momentarily forgot that I had been gender-swapped.

This miserable life. He reincarnated with a perfectly plausible face, but why did I get gender-swapped? If it had to happen, either make him gender-swapped too or make me a man. Why am I the only one who got gender-swapped…

Still, I should explain the situation.

“I got gender-swapped during reincarnation because of that damn Goddess. Anyway, how have you been?”

I’ve been suffering like crazy. He’s probably been the same.

While waiting for his answer, Ju-an just had a skeptical expression.

“Why are you ignoring me?”

“Well… there’s no way for me to believe what you’re saying.”

“Then ask me some questions that only I would know.”

After hearing my words, Ju-an thought deeply before finally speaking.

“Then I’ll ask just one question. If you answer, I’ll believe you.”

“Ask away.”

I know myself better than anyone else. So of course I can answer anything.

“Min-jun did something one week after entering high school. What was it?”

“…I can’t say.”

I absolutely cannot say that. I will never answer that question.

“Then it’s hard for me to believe you.”

“Don’t you have any other questions? I can answer anything else, just not that.”

“No. Only Min-jun and I know about that.”

“Stop lying. Cheol-su and Young-min know about it too.”

“Know about what?”

“About how I confessed to my senior and got rejected… oh.”

I fell for his leading question and confessed myself. Finding my predicament amusing, Ju-an chuckled and said:

“So you really are Min-jun. So why did you end up with that body?”

“Shut the hell up!”

Among friends, there’s one taboo—mentioning that incident.

Anyone who breaks that taboo will regret running their mouth. That’s my belief.

So I threw a punch at Ju-an with all my might, fueled by shame and anger, but somehow it felt like hitting a wall and only my hand hurt.

“…Huh?”

The muscles I once had are gone. In their place is an incredibly weak body. A weak body that can’t even throw a proper punch.

Noticing this, Ju-an continued to break the taboo.

“What did you say when you confessed back then? Senior, I really…”

“Hey, shut up!”

I desperately tried to stop those words, but my resistance was meaningless.

In the end, my dark history was revealed to everyone present.

It was truly a day that made me want to kill myself.